Top 5 Interviewing Blunders and Mishaps of 2009
It’s no secret that the job market is flooded with would-be potentials that are eager to get a few minutes with you in the interview room. However, when that eagerness surfaces itself by means of incredible blunders that seemingly defies all logic, it leaves hiring managers scratching their heads in wonderment. Here are the top 5 interviewing blunders, first reported by ABC News, for the 2009 year.
One candidate, who was seemingly impressive on paper with no resume lies, got a recruiting manager at a banking firm to check out her URL link listed in her online application. Thinking that it was an “all about me” video specially made to help her in her job search, the recruiter was horrified to see that the video was of the applicant exotically dancing with hardly anything on! Needless to say, that interview never happened…
Another interviewer who spoke on this ABC News story reported that one of his applicants had gone into the online job application database and chose a username for himself that was, let’s say, completely inappropriate. Another candidate a few months later, a resume was sent in by fax to him and the reply to email address clearly stated that the person was a binge drinker who loved to party (drinkhog4fun). Sometimes, you just can’t win when you’re looking to hire good help!
Reported by ABC in this same news story, interviewers were surveyed by a major staffing firm this year and reported that 62% of hiring managers said that online sites like LinkedIn would have a significant effect on their decision to hire someone. Having that professional image, no resume falsification, and a clearly “business only” approach to online communications and pages is something that candidates need to take seriously. One recruiter reported that a candidate actually claimed to have a doctorate degree and was applying for an entry-level telemarketing position!
Aside from resume lies and questionable content in a video posted on the Internet, other blunders abound. One example is a job seeker who decided that upping his last position to a greater job title would be a great way to get his foot in the door t a major online marketing firm. As it turns out, the hiring manager at the firm Googled the applicant and peeked at his LinkedIn profile. Turns out the person told resume lies left and right, one that included claiming to have been the recruiter’s supervisor at a prior job! It never pays to lie!
In the fifth “blunder of the world”, a candidate was asked to share their Facebook and MySpace links with an employer so they could take a closer look at who the applicant was as a person. With no reservations, the young college graduate sent over the links by email to the recruiter. Unfortunately for the job seeker, the interviewer found out that she had called in sick about 5 weeks prior due to “the worst hangover anyone could ever have”. Needless to say, the candidate was politely shown the digital door!
Interviewing blunders are becoming more commonplace today as we begin to delve into people’s online personas during the job interview process. Resume lies and resume falsification, crude usernames or email addresses…these all lead to negative results in the end. Contact Accu-screen today so they can help you hire the best people for the job!
